Pierre has notably worked with Ray Charles, Steve Lukather, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Deep Forest and Richard Galliano – Sound Supervisor of Jazz in Marciac and the NRJ Music Awards ceremony, acts as a consultant and teacher at the Abbey Road Institute and Radio France.
Interview
Pierre, how would you define your profession?
A real passionate profession which has invaded everything but has also brought me in touch with all my childhood dreams! I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with almost all of my “musical heroes” on stage and in the studio! I even have the chance to teach it today in prestigious institutions such as the Abbey Road Institute and several universities.
What role does listening to music play in your life?
A prominent role, of course. My whole universe revolves around beautiful musical sounds! And for me, there are two very distinct types of listening. Professional listening usually takes place in the studio, necessarily involving very close listening, with all distractions eliminated. More audiophile listening is often done at home in my sound room, when the household is asleep, with Sennheiser HD800S headphones on my ears.
“When I discovered Audirvāna, first my Macs and then my PCs simply changed status.”
How much attention do you pay to sound quality?
I consider that as sound professionals, we are to some extent the guarantors of its integrity. It’s so frustrating to spend weeks or months on an album and hear it in a degraded version on platforms with few scruples in this regard. This is one of the first principles we strive to convey to our students: the requirement for quality!
How long have you been using Audirvāna? What did you think when you discovered it?
I discovered Audirvāna about 5 years ago. For me, up until then quality listening couldn’t be done via the computer, however practical. When I discovered Audirvāna, first my Macs and then my PCs simply changed status. Equipped with quality external converters, they’ve become my favourite listening platforms.
How do you rate listening from your computer with Audirvāna compared with other equipment?
When I listen to music now, I hardly ever use anything other than the computer and my big audiophile player, both equipped with high-performance DACs.
Do you talk to people about it?
Yes, whenever I can… and I beg my students to stop listening on iTunes and YouTube! It’s become a game to have them do some “blind test” comparisons of the four or five possibilities that exist on the market at the very start of their course! Inevitably… we choose Audirvāna time after time! For the clarity and transparency of the diffusion, the absence of interference from power supply noise, and the indisputable spectral and geographic depth, whatever the quality of the medium. Of course, when you have real sources in high definition… the demonstration becomes even more efficient! For future top sound professionals, the question won’t even need asking…
What are your passions outside of music?
I’m a biker and an aeroplane pilot… well… when I still find the time to fly (increasingly rare!)
